Machine for sewing straw covers for bottles



(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 1.

V. FLEGKENSTEIN. MACHINE FOR SEWING STRAWV oovnns FOR BOTTLES.

No. 480,082. Patented Aug. 2, 1892.

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(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

V. FLBOKENSTEIN. MACHINE FOR SEWING STRAW COVERS FOR BOTTLES.

No. 480,082. Patented Aug. 2, 1892.

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V. PLBGKENST-BIN. MACHINE FOR SEWING STRAW COVERS FOR BOTTLES.

No. 480,082. Patented Aug. 2, 1892.

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MACHINE FOR SEWING STRAW covnns FOR BOTTLES.- No. 480,082.

Patented Aug. 2, 1892.

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VALENTIN FLEOKENSTEIN, OF OSHKOSH, \VISOONSIV.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 480,082, dated August 21892.

Application filed October 31, 1890. Serial No. 369,917. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VALENTIN FLEOKEN- STEIN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at the city of Oshkosh, in the county of W innebago andState of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful ImprovementsinMachines for Making Straw Packing-Covers for Bottles; and I do declarethe following to bea full, clear-,and exact description of theinvention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to a machine forsewing straw bottle-covers; and theobjects of my invention are, first, to eheapen and simplify theconstruction of the machine, and, second, to reduce the time necessaryto make the cover.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side, Fig. 2 an end, andFig. 3 a top, View of the machine. Fig. 3 is a front view of themachine; Fig. 4, a detail view of the needles and threaders; Fig. 6, adetail view of the endlesschain feeder; Fig. 7, a side view of theneedle and needle-guard; and Figs. 5, 8, and 9 are representations ofthe thread-cuttin g device, Fig. 8 being a top view, Fig. 9 a side viewof the device, and Fig. 5 the bar that operates the same.

Similarletters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A A A A is the frame, and B the pulley attached to the shaft 0, whichoperates the machine.

The operator stands at the end E. The straw is first placed upon the topF or worksupport of the machine, all the heads in the same directionresting upon the sliding platform G.

H is a binder pivoted at h, which is brought over upon the straw and theplatform G, so as to lie on a plane just below the platform G, and thusas the platform G is moved laterally by the lever G, which is attachedto the machine, as illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, and caused toslide over the same upon the track I, the doubling of the straw at itshead ends upon the binder is effected and a perfect hold upon the strawand binder secured, and the straw thereby kept firmlyin position uponthe platform or supportingtable.

2' 2' are endless chains upon each side of the top running over thecog-wheels K K K K at each end and operate to feed the straw to theneedles and also to carry the sewed cover gradually around the cylinderbetween the same and the scroll, they being constructed with small hooksto catch the straw, as shown in Fig. 6. The wheels K K are upon the sameshaftwith and operated by the ratchet-wheel J. The pawl l is pivoted tothe bar 5 at 2. This bar turns upon the shaft 07. and is provided withan oblong slot or opening 3, into which the end of the rod 6 is securedby a bolt 4. The rod 6 connects with the eccentric L, operating upon theshaft 0. As the shaft revolves the eccentric L forces the rod 6 up anddown, and this in turn operates the pawl 1 forward and backward upon theratchet-wheel J, causing said wheel to revolve. The slot 3 is for thepurpose of shortening or lengthening the stitchthat is to say, if theend of the rod at 4 is set in the slot 3 farther from the ratchetwheelit raises the bar 5 higher at each revolution, and thereby causes thepawl l to pick up more cogs upon the ratchet-wheel and revolve thewheels K K, which operate the feederchains ii a greater distance, so asto lengthen the stitch, and the opposite to shorten the stitch.

Upon the ratchet-wheel J is attached another wheel m, revolvingtherewith and having in its circumference a drop or notch 0. Operatingupon the circumference of this wheel or disk is the pawl s, which ispivoted to the frame at '7, to a rod 8 at 8, which rod is pivoted to anelbow-lever 9 at 9, the elbowlever 9* being pivoted to a portion of thesupporting-frame at 10 and forked at 11 to enter and partially surrounda groove 12 in the clutch-wheel P. This wheel P slides out and in uponthe shaft 0, but is keyed thereto so as not to revolve thereon. 'Whenthe wheel I is moved out from the frame, the clutch 19 engages acorresponding projection 19 upon the inside of the wheel B, causing thewhole shaft to revolve with the wheel 13 and the machine to operate.When not engaged by the clutch, the wheel B revolves upon the shaft 65hook.

C. Upon the opposite side to the clutch p is another projection V, whichas soon as the clutch is removed strikes against the bar B, Fig. 2, andstops the shaft instantly. This is 5 necessary in operating the machine.Vhen the wheel m has revolved once around, the pawl 8 drops into thenotch 0 (the spring t serving by its tension on the pivot of the arm topull it down) and the opposite end of the 10 pawl-lever s is raised,thereby raising the arm at 9,which turns upon the pivot 10 and pulls thewheel P away from the wheel B to stop the operation of the machine. Thisfeature of my invention is important, as it is necessary to stop themachine quickly at the proper time after each cover is sewed and whenthe needles are down in order to properly out the thread, as hereinafterdescribed.

\Vhen desiring to again start the machine,

I revolve the wheel m by means of the crank m, attached to the oppositeend of the shaft 07., until the pawl 3 slides up the incline 0' to thecircumference of the wheel, thereby adjusting the clutch p to the wheelB.

T is a cylinder, inside of which the needles operate and around whichthe bottle-covers are passed by means of the scroll W, an openingbeingprovided on the scroll at W, so that the operator may properly guide thecover 0 with his hand. This scroll WV is attached to the top of themachine, and the cover as it is stitched passes inside it and is carriedaround the cylinder to form a circular cover.

The arm Z, Fig. 2, is pivoted at 13 to the 5 frame, and the end 14 isprovided with a small wheel pivoted thereto, which travels in thegrooved wheel Y as the machine is operated, and thereby causes theopposite end 15 to play out and in, moving the bar 16, Fig. 4,

horizontally. This bar 16 is provided with cogs to engage correspondingcogs upon the cog-wheels 17 17, which are pivoted to the brackets 18 18and revolve as the bar 16 moves and carry the thread-carriers 19 19forward and backward around and in front of the needles 2O 20 as theyarrive at their upper position. The cord or thread running through theeye 19' 19 of each thread-carrier is thereby passed under the hook ofthe nee- 5o dle 21, Fig. 7, each time as the needle comes to its upperposition.

J is the needle-bar, in which the needles are set at Z Z, and isoperated up and down by means of the crank N, Fig. 2, upon the end ofthe shaft 0.

Fig. 7 is a side view of the needle at its upper position, the strawbeing at E. The needle is grooved longitudinally to admit the guard 22and slides up and down in the ring or ferrule 25, integral with theguard. As the needle descends, the hook 21 catches the end of the guard22 and brings that down with it, the guard sliding in the cross-piece23. This guard prevents the straw from catching in the As the needledescends below the straw, the endless-chain feeders, operated by meansof the pawl 1, as hereinbefore deconsiderable time and extra work.

scribed, carry the straw forward, forming a loop around the needle, andas the needle is again forced up through the straw at a new place theneedle-bar J catches up the guardferrule 25 and carries the top of theguard 22 just above the straw to the position shown in Fig. 7, the loopremaining below the straw and surrounding the needle and guard. When theneedle again descends, it brings the next loop down through the formerone to form a chain-stitch. The springs 24 24 upon the guard pressagainst the sides of the openings in the cross-piece 23 23 sufficientlyto prevent it from dropping until pressed down by the hook 21.

The device for cutting the thread, Figs. 5, 8, and 9, is located beneaththe brackets 18 18 in the cylinder. Fig. 8 shows top of the plate 26,with holes 27 27 therein to admit passage of the needles. 28 28 are thegrips pivoted at 29 29 and are operated by the bar 00, the pivots 41 41operating in the sockets 4O 40. By pushing upon the end a: the grips 2828 revolve and the hooks 3O 3O catch the threads and grip them againstthe narrowed ends 27' 27 of the openings 27 27, sothat the threads aredrawn tightly. Upon the opposite side ofthe plate 26 are pieces of steel42 42, similar to 28 28, and pivoted to the same pivots 29 29 andrevolve therewith a little bohind the grips. The hooks thereon aresharpened to an edge and operate to cut the threads after the grips havedrawn them tightly. The needle-holes 27 27 are constructed oblong, sothat the grips need not interfere with the passage of the needles. Whenthe needles are down, the threaders 19 19 are at the position shown inFig. 4 and hold the threads at the ends 27' 27 of the needle-holes.After the threads are out the grips retain the ends, so that they do notslip through the threaders and at the same time do not. interfere withthe passage of the needles, so that two or three stitches may be takenand the thread thoroughly secured before the device is restored to itsoriginal position bypulling upon the handle as.

It is not necessary with my construction to wind the cord upon aspindle, which requires I provide a device whereby the cord or threadmay be used from the original ball or skein. The balls or skeins areplaced in cans, one of which is shown at 46, Fig. 1. The thread passesthrough an opening 43 in the top of each can and winds around the tube49, passes through the hole 50, and then through the eyesin the springs31 31 and into the cylinder, thence passing through the eyes 19 19 ofthe threaders, and then down through the needle-holes 27 27 in the pathof the grips. The crosspiece 50 is attached to the pipe 49 by thesetscrew 44, and to increase or decrease the tension of the thread Ihave only to revolve the cross-piece 50 and wind or unwind the threadaround the pipe 49.

The cylinder T is provided with a sliding cover T, Fig. 3, inclosing thetop to keep the straw from interfering with the operation of theneedles. After the cover is sewed it surrounds the cylinder and isslipped from the end at T, Fig. 3. The cylinder is secured at theopposite end to the bracket A of the frame.

In operating the machine I first spread the straw upon the top F F, theheads upon the platform G, then bring over the binder H and operate thelever G, which is pivoted at E to the frame A and linked to the slidingplatform G, as shown at E and thereby is connected to the platform G inthe manner shown in the drawings, and by its movement slide theplatform. This bends over the heads and spreads the straw upon thefeederst' 2'. Ithen operate the crank m and start the machine. As soonas the machine stops automatically I push upon the handle so to cut thethread and pull the cover from the cylinder T. The cover then consistsof a cylinder of straw, and to complete the cover I close one end of thestraw cylinder by tying it at any time afterward. After the coverisremoved I then slide the platform G back and raise the binder H, therebyrestoring the machine to its original position, ready for the startingof another cover. After the machine is started on the next cover, so asto sufficiently fasten the thread, I can restore the cutting device toits original position by pulling upon the handle so or pushing upon ahandle provided at the opposite end.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a forming-cylinder, a guiding-scroll, a stationarystraw-supporting table, an endless-chain straw-carrier extended farenough to carry the sewed cover around the cylinder between the same andthe scroll, mechanism for automatically stopping the stitch-formingmechanism and the endless straw-carrier mechanism for varying the lengthof the stitch, and a hand mechanism for restarting the machine when anew cover is to be made, substantially as described.

2. The combination of stitch-forming mechanism, the forming-cylinder,the guidingscroll, a straw-carrier, a binder H, pivoted at h to theframe and swinging over upon the top of the feed-table for holding thestraw down, the horizontal sliding platform G, and a lever G, connectedthereto and to the frame, the said platform being on a plane above thebinder and serving for doubling the straw and holding it upon thebinder, substantially as described.

3. The combination of stitch-forming mechanism, a forming-cylinder, aguiding-scroll, a straw-carrier, a ratchet-Wheel and pawl, a notchedwheel and pawl, a slotted arm, an adjustable connecting-rod 6, andmechanism for operating the stitch-forming devices, and theendless-chain straw-carrier whereby the length of the stitches can bevaried and the machine automatically stopped when the cover is finishedand the cutting of the threads is to be performed, substantially asdescribed.

4:. The combination of stitch-forming mechanism, a forming-cylinderhavingaremovable cover, a guiding-scroll provided with an openingintermediate of its length for admitting access to the straw-cover, thestraw-feeding mechanism, and mechanism for operating the stitch -formingand straw-feeding devices, substantially as described.

5. The combination of stitch-forming mechanism comprising areciprocating hooked needle, arm 19, carried by wheel 17 and carryingthe thread, toothed bar 16, toothed wheel 17, and means for operatingsaid bar 16, the forming-cylinder, a guiding-scroll, a straw-carrier,and mechanism for operating said carrier and the other parts of thestitch-forming mech-- anism, substantially as described.

6. The combination of the stitch-forming mechanism comprising the hookedneedle, rocking thread-carrier 19, thread-gripper 28, lever 00 foroperating the same, slotted plate 26, through which the thread andneedle pass, and knife 42, applied to the gripper and,

operated by the lever which operates the gripper, a forming-cylinder, aguiding-scroll, a straw-carrier, mechanism for operating said carrier,and mechanism for operating the stitch-forming mechanism, substantiallyas described.

7. The combination of stitch-forming mechanism, feeding mechanism, plate26, provided with a slot 27, gripper 28, knife 42, mounted on the samepivot as the gripper, but set at a different angle so as to engagethewall of the slot later, and lever 00, as and for the purposedescribed. 1

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

VALENTIN FLEOKENSTEIN. Witnesses:

CHARLES J. SoHMITr, JOHN W. EVERETT.

